ANAHEIM, Calif. — As Gonzaga prepares for the Elite Eight, an hour and a half down the road in Temecula, class of 2020 Gonzaga verbal commit Dominick Harris is patiently waiting to put on a Bulldogs jersey.
“I think it’s a beautiful thing when your brother falls in love with his dream,” Dominick Harris’ older brother Deshaun Harris said.
Rancho Christian junior point guard Dominick Harris definitely fell in love with Gonzaga.
“I feel like it was a best fit for me,” said Dominick of Gonzaga. “For what I want to do as far as basketball and just life, of being a leader and being a young man. The coaching staff was good to me and we built a good bond and a good friendship. I feel like I can flourish there in the offense and just everything that they do. I feel like it was just a good fit for me and my overall game.”
And his family?
Well they’re definitely in love with it too.
“I think finding a great school for him that’s consistent and family-like really fits our family so I think him falling into the school like Gonzaga is a perfect fit,” said Deshaun.
“It kind of represented what we are as a family,” said other older brother Dionte Harris. “We grew up in that kind of setting where our parents held us accountable for things if we didn’t get it done. For him to come back, to say, ‘I love it. It felt like family,’ That’s the most comfort as you can get sending your brother off.”
“I didn’t know about it but when we went there, the love that you feel from the moment you step into the gym. It is a whole different world in there... It’s fantastic. It’s family. You know that as a parent you want your child to go to a place that symbolizes home for him and that is home for him,” said mother Neki.
Dominick and his family loved Gonzaga so much, that he verbally committed to the school midway through his sophomore year, which is extremely rare.
But Dominick?
Well, he found something rare in the Bulldogs.
“I feel like when you know where you want to go, you shouldn’t have to wait,” said Dominick. “Most people wait their senior year and stuff. I knew I wanted to go there so I pulled the trigger.”
Expect a lot of pulling the trigger when Dominick lands on campus in 2020, because the kid can light it up.
“I would say electric,” said Deshaun of his brother’s style of play. “He’s a very fun player to watch. He puts on a show on the court, and I think everyone’s aware of that when he steps on the court.”
“When he plays it’s like poetry in motion,” said Dionte. “He plays at such a grace. He can change speed and directions so quickly. You enjoy watching him, genuinely.”
“Straight beast. He’s a straight beast,” said his dad Shaun. “He’s full of aggression. Everything is 100%. He has a knack to score the basketball. He’s a phenomenal scorer. He’s a always been like that. Tenacious. He has the potential to be an elite defender as well.”
And Dominic’s answer to what Gonzaga fans can expect of him?
“A winning attitude, leadership, and I feel like I’m a dynamic guard, so I feel like I can make plays for my teammates and make plays for myself when needed. I’ll just bring positive energy and wanting to win.”
His dad promises there will be a lot of winning in Gonzaga’s future with Dominick at the helm, including one win that the team hasn’t been able to achieve yet.
“We actually play that scenario out all the time when we’re training. This one’s for the ring for Gonzaga bringing that thing home. It’s going to happen Gonzaga fans. Whether it’s this year or the next five years. I’m putting that on the record.”
But it’s not just about winning for the Harris clan.
They have bigger goals for Dominick’s time in Spokane.
“If he can utilize his talents to better others while he’s in Spokane, I’ll be extremely happy,” said his dad. “The basketball guys there are almost like rock stars. People know them by their face and what they do. I want to visit a game in Spokane and they say, ‘Man, not only is Dominick a great player, he’s a great person.’ When they can tell me that, that he’s making an impact there, is when I know it’s all come together.”
For now though, they’re allowed to just be proud.
“I’m overjoyed,” said his mother through tears. “I’m happy. He’s my baby.”